Texas railway line
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The Texas railway line is a disused branch railway of the South Western railway line in the south of the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, and was the last traditional branch line railway constructed in Queensland.[1]
The McDougall brothers settled land in the Texas region in about 1840. They later had to prove their claim to the property after another settler moved in during their absence. At the time, the Republic of Texas in North America was in the midst of a land war with neighbouring Mexico and thus they called their property Texas station. Deposits of silver, lead and copper were mined at Silver Spur about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) east of Texas. Tobacco was grown in the Texas region along with a busy trade in rabbit meat and skins.
Between October 1910 and March 1912, a road train serviced the area between Inglewood (a railhead on the South Western line), Texas and Silver Spur. In 1914, following an inefficient and unreliable service, a branch line was approved linking the three centres.[2] Construction did not begin until February 1929 with the jobs created being sought by many hundreds of men out of work due to the Great Depression.[3][4] The 55-kilometre (34 mi) section between Inglewood and Texas was officially opened on Monday 10 November 1930 by Godfrey Morgan, the Queensland Minister for Railways.[5] Two small sidings appeared en route at Magee and Mundoey.[6]
Grain, tobacco, dairy products and livestock were its main cargo but the line faced stiff competition with motor transport in the ascendancy. Closure of the Silver Spur mine sounded the death knell of an extension beyond Texas. Two trains a week connected with services at Inglewood. Although special trains ran during busy times, branch traffic was always sparse. Short branch lines ran from Texas station to livestock pens and past the Texas Freezing Works where rabbits were processed.
By 1963, passenger services had disappeared from the timetable.[7] Regular services were withdrawn in 1985 and services were replaced by motor truck. The line closed on 1 January 1994 and is retained by Queensland Rail as a non-operational corridor. The track was left in place but other facilities were removed.[8]
As at 2025, there is a proposal to reopen the line as a heritage tourist experience.[9]
See also
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References
[edit]- ^ Kerr, J. 'Triumph of Narrow Gauge' Boolarong Publications 1990
- ^ "POLITICALITIES. Election Bribes". Queensland Figaro. Vol. XXXV, no. 2. Queensland, Australia. 12 January 1929. p. 13. Retrieved 13 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "TEXAS RAILWAY". The Toowoomba Chronicle And Darling Downs Gazette. Vol. LXVIII, no. 30. Queensland, Australia. 4 February 1929. p. 5. Retrieved 13 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "THE RAILWAYS". The Telegraph. No. 17, 658. Queensland, Australia. 9 July 1929. p. 3 (5 O'CLOCK CITY EDITION). Retrieved 13 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "BELOW ESTIMATED COST". Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay And Burnett Advertiser. No. 18, 839. Queensland, Australia. 11 November 1930. p. 5. Retrieved 13 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "DAY BY DAY TEXAS RAILWAY". Warwick Daily News. No. 3487. Queensland, Australia. 3 September 1930. p. 4. Retrieved 13 March 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Southern Downs Steam Railway (2008). "Historical information: (Warwick) – Inglewood – Texas". Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2008.
- ^ QR Limited (Network Access division) (September 2005). "South Western System: Information Pack (Issue 2)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2008. Retrieved 10 November 2008.
- ^ "About Us". Texas Railway Museum. Archived from the original on 12 December 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
External links
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